


What Did I Miss?

by AlmondRose



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, i'm not sure what it is, like a mix of preboot and new52, oblivious Tim, poor guy, random AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-06
Updated: 2016-07-06
Packaged: 2018-07-21 21:32:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7405621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlmondRose/pseuds/AlmondRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tim returns to Gotham after three years away. He decides to catch up with Steph first...</p>
            </blockquote>





	What Did I Miss?

 

“You sure?” Kon asked, frowning. Tim felt a flicker of annoyance. This was about the millionth time Kon had asked him that.

 

“Of course I am,” Tim said. “It’s been a long time coming.”

 

“But are you sure you want to be alone?” Kon pressed. Tim sighed.

 

“ _Yes,”_ he said.

 

“I’m sorry,” Kon said. He seemed to sag. “I trust you. I’ll be back whenever you call for me.”

 

“Thank you,” Tim said, cupping his cheek and guiding him in for a kiss. Kon let the kiss linger before he flew away, waving. Tim waved back and turned around to face Gotham. His city. His home. He hadn’t been back in _years._ Tim hopped down from the roof he was on and landed on a fire escape on the top floor of the apartment building. He took the stairs down to the alley below. He looked around and smelled trash. There was blood smudged on the brick wall of the alley. Someone honked loudly from the nearest road. A curse answered. The sky was a dark grey. Tim smiled. This was Gotham, all right.

 

He left the alley and quickly gained his bearings. He could probably navigate better from the rooftops, but it was only 1 pm and besides, he’d probably give the others heart attacks if Red Robin, resident of Metropolis for the last three years, showed up in Gotham without warning. He’d give them enough panic with just Tim Drake, resident of Metropolis for the last three years, showing up in Gotham without warning.

 

Tim decided to visit Steph first. It wasn’t because she was closer--well, not completely--but because he missed her and he had no clue what she was up to these days and last time he’d seen her she had been an absolute _wreck_ (Damian’s death had affected her pretty badly) and because he had actually seen Bruce like six months ago, so. He headed to Steph’s new apartment--before he had left he had checked out (read “stalked”) his family to make sure of locations. It seemed that Dick was in the same apartment, Babs had moved to a new apartment, Jason had an actual apartment, not just a safehouse, and Steph was in a bigger apartment, and she shared with somebody, but Tim hadn’t recognized the name on the lease. He hoped that this “Rene Allen-Gomez” was a girl Steph was rooming with, and not a boyfriend (although maybe Steph was bi, he wasn’t sure), but as long as Steph was happy, Tim wasn’t going to complain.

 

Steph’s new house was in the nicer side of Gotham. Tim wondered if she had finally let Bruce spot her some money or if she had acquired a nice job. Hopefully one that had flexible work hours and a chill boss. Tim found her building and walked up the outside stairs to the second story. He took a deep breath and knocked on her door. He made sure to knock in that same way he would when they were dating and he’d knock on her windows. He waited.

 

The door flung open and there she was, her blonde hair in a messy bun and she was wearing her favorite Black Bat hoodie and shorts, with mismatched socks. Her mouth was open in shock.

 

“Surprise,” Tim said, smiling. Her mouth snapped shut and she slugged his arm. “Ow!”

 

“That’s for being gone for three years, asshole,” Steph said, then she pulled him into a crushing hug. He patted her back and inhaled the familiar smell of syrup and her lemon shampoo. She smelled like his teen years and he smiled in nostalgia. She pulled back.

 

“You look great,” Tim said and she squinted.

 

“No I don’t,” she said. “You need a haircut.” Tim ran his fingers through his hair--it _was_ long--and shrugged.

 

“Kon tells me that, too,” he said. “I keep forgetting.”

 

“Yeah, well,” Steph said. “You also forgot to like, call, for three years, so I’m sure by the time your hair reaches your butt you’ll get it cut.”

 

“Steph,” Tim said.

 

“I’m _teasing,”_ she said. “Come in.” He followed her inside. The room was bright and sunny, a little cluttered with comfy-looking furniture and very clean. Tim wondered if her roommate was a neat freak because Steph sure wasn’t. All in all it looked very Steph, though.

 

“So,” Steph said.

 

“So,” Tim repeated.

 

“Wanna sit? I still have some waffles from lunch,” Steph said.

 

“Sure,” Tim said, sitting on the couch she’d pointed at. She vanished into the kitchen and Tim noticed an art pad on the end table. He wondered if Rene Allen-Gomez was an artist. Steph came back with a plate of waffles and handed it to him, sitting on the other couch.

 

“How’s Metropolis?” Steph asked.

 

“Good,” Tim said. “It feels like I’ve only been there like a month.”

 

“Yeah, well, it feels like it’s been _forever_ since you’ve left.”

 

“What’s new here?”

 

“You probably already know,” Steph said with a wry smile. “I mean, you _do_ have that stalking habit.”

 

“First of all, it’s _watching_ , not stalking, and second off, I haven’t been paying close attention to _anything_ here, which has been weird to say the least.”

 

“Huh,” Steph said. “Well, I’m Spoiler again, and Carrie is Robin.”

 

“Who’s Carrie?”

 

“She lives with Bruce,” Steph said. “I dunno if there’s been an official adoption or not. Anyways, she’s Robin, and I’ve have a new partner, Sparrow, and Cass and Harper might be dating, and also Babs is Batgirl--”

 

“Wait, what?” Tim interrupted. “How?”

 

“There was this operation, and she’s better now,” Steph said. “Anyways, Cullen is Oracle, and he’s alright but not the tech genius you and Babs are, but he’s getting better, and--”

 

“Who’s Cullen?”

 

“Harper’s brother.” At Tim’s confused look she elaborated. “Bluebird. She’s a newish vigilante. I think Cass lives with her sometimes. In other news, Kori pulled a Talia and revealed that Dick has a child, who’s named Mar’i and is six years old and the cutest thing _ever_ , and Dick and Kori have her on alternating weekends. Actually, I think it’s a Mar’i week this week, so you can meet her. She talks about you sometimes, you know.”

 

“She does?” Tim asked, trying to wrap his head around the fact that he had a _niece._  

 

“Yeah. She likes your cape and she wants you to get Kon to teach her how to fly. Kori keeps saying she can teach her, but she thinks ‘Uncle Superboy’ is cooler.”

 

“Oh,” Tim said. “Um, yeah, I can talk to him.”

 

“Good, because _someone_ taught her puppy dog eyes and she’s hard to say no to.” Tim was silent as he contemplated the fact that he had been gone for _so long._ There were like four new vigilantes. Steph was Spoiler again--talk about callbacks to his teen hood. Babs was Batgirl--again, talk about callbacks. Dick was a father, and there was a new Robin. And Damian was still dead. Steph seemed over it, even casually mentioning Talia in a conversation. Tim remembered Bruce’s inability to talk about Jason. He remembered his own wish to not talk about Steph, when he thought she was dead. He supposed everyone was different. Steph brushed a strand of hair out of her eye and Tim noticed for the first time that she looked younger than she was supposed to be by about four or five years.

 

“You look young,” he blurted.

 

“There was an incident with the Fountain of Youth,” Steph said and Tim decided not to question it.

 

“So how’s your roommate?” Steph looked startled but quickly recovered.

 

“Rene? He’s fine,” she said.

 

“Rene’s a he?” Tim asked. “Are you--?”

 

“No,” she said, blushing slightly. “We’re just friends.”

 

“Oh,” Tim said. “Does he know about your nightly activities?”

 

“He’s Sparrow, my partner.”

 

“Hmm. Where is he?”

 

“He’s at the store,” she said. “He should be back soon.” Her eyes widened. “Shoot.” She lunged for her phone at the coffee table.

 

“What?” Tim asked.

 

“I-I forgot,” Steph said, typing madly. “Hold on a second.” She stared at her phone and Tim got up to put his plate in the sink. There was a black and white cat on the counter. It stared at him. He stared back.

 

“You have a cat,” he said as he came back into the sitting room.

 

“Yeah,” she said distractedly. “Her name is Persephone.”

 

“Purrsephone?” Tim asked, raising an eyebrow. Steph looked up from her phone.

 

“Don’t steal my pun,” she said seriously.

 

“Sorry,” Tim said and then the front door opened and a person entered, pushing the door open with his back. He was carrying groceries and staring at his phone.

 

“Why did you text me--oh,” the guy said, staring at Tim. And Tim had to stare back. Because although he was taller, and lankier, and his hair was different, and he was clearly older--around fifteen, his mind whispered, although he looked even older than that--the person was clearly Damian freakin’ Wayne, alive again.

 

“Um, Tim, this is my roommate,” Steph said awkwardly. “You might already know each other.”

 

“What the hell,” Tim said blankly.

 

“Yes, Drake, I am alive. Yes, I look older, and I am now taller than you. Yes, Grayson is aware of my state of living. Yes, I live with Brown.”

 

“C’mon, dude, I think we’re on a ‘Stephanie’ basis by now,” Steph muttered. Damian ignored her.

 

“Yes, I am Sparrow. Yes, Rene Allen-Gomez is completely fictional. No, nobody knows except Brown, Grayson, and now you.”

 

“I’m pretty sure Cass knows,” Steph said.

 

“And no, you are not to tell my father this. Nor your... _boyfriend_ ,” Damian spat, looking slightly revolted. “And yes, I have met my niece, even though I’m _dead_ , and all _you_ were was a city away.”

 

“Okay, time out,” Tim said, shaking his hands. “What?”

 

“Damian’s alive,” Steph said. “It’s a secret. Only me and Dick and maybe Cass know. Sparrow has a few methods to be unrecognizable. As far as literally anyone knows, Rene Allen-Gomez is a real person. Damian even has a disguise and so he has met some people as Rene. Don’t tell anyone he’s alive.”

 

“But--why?” Tim stammered.

 

“I don’t have to explain my reasons to you, Drake,” Damian said. Somehow they had migrated to the kitchen and Damian and Steph were putting away groceries while Tim was internally freaking out.  

 

“I’m confused,” Tim said.

 

“As you should be,” Steph said. Tim rubbed his forehead and sighed.

 

“And of course, nothing is easy around here, is it? Nothing at all happened in Metropolis,” Tim said.

 

“That’s because there’s like two people there,” Steph said knowledgeably. “There’s like a hundred vigilantes here.”

 

“I’ll have you know there are three,” Tim said. “Sometimes four.”

 

“Actually sometimes _five_ ,” Damian corrected. “Seeing as Father is attempting to court Superman.”

 

“Oh yeah, there’s another comedy waiting to happen,” Steph chuckled.

 

“Bruce is doing _what_?” Tim repeated.

 

“He wants to make out with your boyfriend's dad,” Steph said. “Keep up.”

  
“I can't believe I missed that," Tim said. “What _else_ did I miss?”

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! comments and kudos are appreciated!
> 
> come check me out at almondrose-stuff on Tumblr :)


End file.
